Commentary

Long before science had conceived of the idea of Pangaea, or an original state of the earth with all the continents joined together in one land mass, the word of the Lord declared that such was the case. Much later science began to see signs that this was indeed the case. Now this is an accepted theory in scientific circles. Pangaea is believed to have broken up about 180 million years ago (mya) in the Jurassic Period, first into two supercontinents (Gondwana to the south and Laurasia to the north), thereafter into the continents as we understand them today (Wikipedia, Pangaea).

What science however can know nothing about is the fact that these continents that are currently separated will be joined back together during the Millennium 1.If science claims that the separation of the continents took millions of years, then why should it not take that long for the continents to be rejoined again?Do we believe it will take the Lord millions of years to accomplish this at His coming?If so, that would make for one looooooong Millennium.But by definition, a millennium is only one thousand years.If it wouldn’t take the Lord this long in the future, then why would we assume that he could not divide the continents in an equally short time, especially since that is what He told us He did?

Here we have two alternatives. Either some modern scientists are correct and the division of the continents took millions of years, or the scriptures are correct and this division occurred in one man’s life time.This means that the time it took for the continents to separate, as claimed by scientists would approach nearly a million times longer than the time in which the Lord actually accomplished it.Could this same error be made in estimations of the age of the earth?There is no way to harmonize this huge margin of error!One is true and the other is false.Which one will we believe? An unseen, unproven, man-made theory, or the Word of the Lord and his prophets? The Doctrine and Covenants clearly teaches that the islands and continents will move back to their former locations, before the continents were divided, at the command of the Lord.

And he shall utter his voice . . . and his voice shall be heard among all people;And it shall be a voice as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder, which shall break down the mountains, and the valleys shall not be found.He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land; And the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall be turned back into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided.2

We worship a God of Great Authority and Power. At the call of the Lord these islands and continents will be joined together over a short period of time.The Lord has no need to wait millions of years for His word to be fulfilled.Additionally, these continents were separated over a short period of time.The word of the Lord explains that in the days of Eber he named one of his sons Peleg, meaning division, because:

Some moderns, not believing in miracles, have taught that this was only a division of the people, rather than the continents.These expressions oppose the writings of several of the Presidents of the Church including President John Taylor, who had this to say:

. . . after the flood, in the days of Peleg, the earth was divided.—See Genesis 10:25,—a short history, to be sure, of so great an event; but still it will account for the mighty revolution, which rolled the sea from its own place in the north, and brought it to interpose between different portions of the earth, which were thus parted asunder, and moved into something near their present form . . .4

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that the continents were divided in the days of Peleg and that they will be restored to one land mass in the latter days.

. . . the Eternal God hath declared that the great deep shall roll back into the north countries and that the land of Zion and the land of Jerusalem shall be joined together, as they were before they were divided in the days of Peleg.No wonder the mind starts at the sound of the last days!56

President Joseph Fielding Smith commenting on the words of the Prophet stated:

Here the Prophet tells us that the dividing of the earth was in the days of Peleg. When Christ comes, it will be brought back again as it was before it was divided.7

Many other latter-day prophets have affirmed that the continents were literally divided in the days of Peleg including Harold B. Lee, Heber C. Kimball, Bruce R. McConkie and Mark E. Peterson.
Why does it matter? One issue is that modern scientists have declared that this division of the continents occurred over many millions of years.The word of the Lord and his prophets declare that this happened over a short period of time.Think of the great changes that transpired.Think of the geological implications—entire continents broken apart and moved across the earth—all of this, if you believe in the words of prophets, in the span of one man’s lifetime.All of this happened either a few thousand years ago or many millions of years ago—either in one man’s lifetime or over many thousands or millions of years.If the words of prophets can be trusted, and we believe that they can, what about other geological phenomena?What about theGrand Canyon?Most modern scientists claim that theGrand Canyontook several million years to form.Have the prophets spoken of this as well?Indeed they have.John Taylor bore this prophetic witness to the source of the geological upheavals seen throughout the westernUnited States.

And when I cast mine eyes over our own land, and see . . . rocks having been rent, and torn asunder, from centre to circumference; I exclaim, Whence all this?

When I read the Book of Mormon, it informs me, that while Christ was crucified among the Jews, this whole American continent was shaken to its foundation, that many cities were sunk, and waters came up in their places; that the rocks were all rent in twain; that mountains were thrown up to an exceeding height; and other mountain became vallies: the level roads spoiled; and the whole face of the land changed.—I then exclaim, These things are no longer a mystery; I have now learned to account for the many wonders, which I everywhere behold, throughout our whole country; when I am passing a ledge of rocks, and see they have all been rent and torn asunder, while some huge fragments are found deeply imbedded in the earth, some rods from whence they were torn, I exclaim, with astonishment, These were the groans! the convulsive throes of agonizing nature! while the Son of God suffered upon the cross!8

When looking at the twisted mountains and enormous cracks found in the earth throughout the Rocky Mountain region, some motivated by faith see a testimony of the Book of Mormon and writings of the prophets of God.Others see a witness that there is no God and that we have descended from lower forms of life over many millions of years.The Book of Mormon gives us this record:

And behold, the rocks were rent in twain; they were broken up upon the face of the whole earth, insomuch that they were found in broken fragments, and in seams and in cracks, upon all the face of the land.9

Surely these cracks and fragments which altered the entire face of the land could be seen today.Again, the Book of Mormon testifies:

Yea, they shall be rent in twain, and shall ever after be found in seams and in cracks, and in broken fragments upon the face of the whole earth, yea, both above the earth and beneath.10

Nephi gives an even more detailed account which includes the destruction of cities without number:

. . . I beheld many cities, yea, even that I did not number them. . . . I saw the earth and the rocks, that they rent; and I saw mountains tumbling into pieces; and I saw the plains of the earth, that they were broken up; and I saw many cities that they were sunk . . . and I saw many that did tumble to the earth, because of the quaking thereof.11

Where else would the evidence of sinking mountains and rising plains as recorded in the Book of Mormon be found other than in America?Truly the geological evidence of the word of God is all around us.If we cannot have faith in the past occurrences which testify of the power and majesty of God, can we have faith in future events including the Second Coming of our Lord?Will we explain away the burning of this earth with fire at the Lords Coming as some have done with the dividing of the continents?What about the changing of the earth to a paradisiacal state as it was once before?Will some persist to claim that this state never existed?Perhaps some will suggest that the literal Resurrection will need to go as well as there is no rational explanation?

Prophetic Statements

Joseph Smith

That it comes to open the way for Zion to rise and put on her beautiful garments and become the glory of the earth, that her land may be joined, or married (according to the known translation of Isaiah) to Jerusalem again, and they be one as they were in the days of Peleg.12

John Taylor

#1: How far the flood may have contributed, to produce the various changes, as to the division of the earth into broken fragments, islands and continents, mountains and valleys, we have not been informed; the change must have been considerable. But after the flood, in the days ofPeleg, the earth was divided.—13,—a short history, to be sure, of so great an event; but still it will account for the mighty revolution, which rolled the sea from its own place in the north, and brought it to interpose between different portions of the earth, which were thus parted asunder, and moved into something near their present form; this, together with the earthquakes, revolutions, and commotions which have since taken place, have all contributed to reduce the face of the earth to its present state; while the great curses which have fallen upon different portions, because of the wickedness of men, will account for the stagnant swamps, the sunken lakes, the dead seas, and great deserts.14

#2: . . . after the flood, in the days of Peleg, the earth was divided.—See Genesis 10:25,—a short history, to be sure, of so great an event; but still it will account for the mighty revolution, which rolled the sea from its own place in the north, and brought it to interpose between different portions of the earth, which were thus parted asunder, and moved into something near their present form . . .”15

Joseph Fielding Smith

#1: I have here a clipping from “Believe It Or Not” by Ripley which I cut out of the paper January 15, 1941; it is too small for you to see, but I will gladly pass it around. In this Ripley shows that you could take all the land surface of the earth, if you had the power to do so, and fit it like a jigsaw puzzle altogether again. You hang a map up on the wall and take a look at it; and if you have one you do not care much about take your scissors and clip out along the coast of South America and North America and see if you cannot fit them together with the coastline of Europe and Africa.”

In the restoration of all things this is going to be accomplished. I am not saying that because of any statement that is made by some scientist. I am not saying it because I have imagined such a thing, because I have looked at a map. I am saying it because the Lord Himself has said it. If you are willing for me to depart from the standard works of the Church and present to you some of the sayings that have been made by some of the leaders of the Church, I would like to read one or two things to you; at least, to show that I am not so far off the track. I have good company, anyhow. When I have the Prophet Joseph Smith and Brigham Young and Parley P. Pratt and Orson Pratt and John Taylor and others all on my side, I think I have some pretty good company, and I would rather have that company than this uncertain company that has an idea that things began way back millions, no, billions of years ago in the sea and have developed to what they are now. 16

#2: THE EARTH HAS UNDERGONE MANY CHANGES

It should also be remembered that this good earth has passed through a great many changes since the days of Eden. The Bible teaches us that in the beginning all the water was in one place. Therefore all the land must have been in one place. 17 Therewere notan Eastern and aWestern Hemisphereat the time of Adam. It is very strange, but nevertheless true, that some of the greatest events that have occurred on the face of the earth have been passed over in the Bible with the slightest mention; for example, in Genesis 10:25 , we read: And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one wasPeleg; for in his day was the earth divided.” This is a very brief statement of one of the greatest events that ever occurred on the face of this terrestrial globe, yet there is scientific evidence that this very thing happened. In the beginning the land surface was one vast continent; there came a time when it was divided, and other continents were formed and theWestern Hemisphere came into existence, but this was long after the time of Adam.

Speaking of this great event Dr. Immanuel Velikovisky, in his book, Earth in Upheaval, makes the following comment:

The theory of drifting continents, debated since the 1920’s has its starting point in the similarity of the shape of the coastlines ofBrazilandAfrica. This similarity (or better, complementation) plus some early fauna and floral affinities suggested to Professor Alfred Wegner of Cruz in the Tyrol that in the early geological age these two continents, South America and Africa, were one land mass. But since animal and vegetable affinities, could also be found in other parts of the world, Wegner conjectured that all continents and islands were once a single land mass that in various epochs divided and drifted apart. Those who do not subscribe to the theory of continental drift continue to explain the affinity of plants and animals by land bridges” or former land connections between continents and also between continents and islands.18

#2: This, of course, has little to do with the Garden of Eden, but it does show that there have been great changes on the earth’s surface since the days of Adam.19

#3: . . . the Eternal God hath declared that the great deep shall roll back into the north countries and that the land of Zion and the land of Jerusalem shall be joined together, as they were before they were divided in the days of Peleg.No wonder the mind starts at the sound of the last days!20

#4: THE JEWS ARE TO GATHER ATJERUSALEM

From this and other revelations in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants, we are informed that the Jews are to gather atJerusalem. On this, the American Continent, the converted Israelites and Gentiles are to gather with the Latter-Day Saints and the revelation states that those who come from among the Gentiles are to flee” untoZion. However, they are not to go out in haste,” that is to say, the Latter-day Saints are preparing the way. They are building the temples and the highways and performing the labors which are necessary for the tribes ofIsraelwhen their prophets shall speak to them and they shall receive their call to come toZion. We know very little about the lost tribes,” who they are or whence they will come. For our present needs, it is sufficient to rely on the word of the Lord concerning these tribes and of their coming, and the Lord has revealed the following:

And he shall utter his voice out ofZion, and he shall speak fromJerusalem, and his voice shall be heard among all people;

And it shall be a voice as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder, which shall break down the mountains, and the valleys shall not be found.

He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land;

And the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall be turned back into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided.21

#5: We read in Genesis that in the beginning all of the land surface was in one place as it was in the days of Peleg, 22 that the earth was divided. Some Bible commentators have concluded that this division was one concerning the migrations of the inhabitants of the earth between them, but this is not the case. While this is but a very brief statement, yet it speaks of a most important event. The dividing of the earth was not an act of division by the inhabitants of the earth by tribes and peoples, but a breaking asunder of the continents, thus dividing the land surface and creating the Eastern Hemisphere and Western Hemisphere. By looking at a wall map of the world, you will discover how the land surface along the northern and southern coast of the American Hemisphere and Europe andAfricahas the appearance of having been together at one time. Of course, there have been many changes on the earth’s surface since the beginning. We are informed by revelation that the time will come when this condition will be changed and that the land surface of the earth will come back again as it was in the beginning and all be in one place. This is definitely stated in the Doctrine and Covenants in the following words:

When the Lamb shall stand upon Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having his Father’s name written on their foreheads.

Wherefore, prepare ye for the coming of the Bridegroom; go ye, go ye out to meet him.

For behold, he shall stand upon the mount of Olivet, and upon the mighty ocean, even the great deep, and upon the islands of the sea, and upon the land of Zion.23

TIME OF EARTH’S RENEWAL NOT KNOWN

Just when this great change shall come we do not know. If, however, the earth is to be restored as it was in the beginning, then all the land surface will again be in one place as it was before the days ofPeleg, when this great division was accomplished. Europe, Africa, and the islands of the sea includingAustralia,New Zealand, and other places in the Pacific must be brought back and joined together as they were in the beginning.

Before this great work will be accomplished, the prophecy in relation to the tribes ofIsraelas recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants must be fulfilled. Through the preaching of the gospel in all parts of the world, the preparatory work is being accomplished. The lost tribes” will be discovered and, as the revelation states, the lost sheep among the gentiles will flee toZionand the Jews toJerusalemas the Lord has decreed. The Redeemer will come to take his place as King of kings, and the great day of the millennial reign will be ushered in.24

When that day comes great changes shall take place upon the earth. We believe this is a day of restoration, and that the earth is to be renewed. 25 In this renewal we are informed that the Lord shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north country, and the islands shall become one land; and the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall be turned back into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided.” 26 The notion prevails quite generally that the dividing of the earth in the days ofPelegwas a division politically among the people, but from this word of the Lord we gain the idea that the earth itself was divided and that when Christ comes it will again be brought back to the same conditions physically as prevailed before this division took place. The sea is to be driven back into the north. The land is to be brought back as it was originally and the lands of Zion (America) andJerusalem (Palestine and all the land pertaining unto it) will be restored to their own place as they were in the beginning. The Savior will stand in the midst of his people, and shall reign over all flesh. We have discovered in our study that the wicked, or all things that are corruptible 27, will be consumed and therefore will not be permitted to be on the earth when this time comes.28

RESTORATION OF THE EARTH. Joseph Smith gave this inspired summary of latter-day events: There shall be famine, and pestilence, and earthquake in divers places; and the prophets have declared that the valleys should rise; that the mountains should be laid low; that a great earthquake should be, in which the sun should become black as sack-cloth of hair, and the moon turn into blood; yea, the Eternal God hath declared that the great deep shall roll back into the north countries and that the land of Zion and the land of Jerusalem shall be joined together, as they were before they were divided in the days ofPeleg. No wonder the mind starts at the sound of the last days!” 2930

CIVILIAZATION BEGAN INAMERICA. Contrary to popular belief the western hemisphere is where civilization began. The Lord revealed that Adam-ondi-Ahman, a place inDaviess County,Missouri, is where Adam dwelt after he was driven out of the Garden of Eden. The scriptures say that Adam journeyed to the East of Eden and at that portion of the garden from whence he was driven the Lord placed Cherubim to prevent Adam returning. The Garden of Eden, then, must have been on the western hemisphere. It stands to reason, this being true, that the antediluvians also dwelt on this western hemisphere before the division of the earth. Just what was the nature of the land surface of the earth when Noah built hisArkmay not be definitely known, but this we know—if we accept the scriptures—that in the beginning all the land surface of the earth was in one place. The dividing of the continents did not take place until after the flood, for it was in the days ofPelegwhen the earth was divided. Some have maintained that this division had reference to the parcelling out of the land surface among the tribes and peoples as they scattered forth over the earth. This interpretation, however, cannot be maintained in the light of what is written. The Lord has promised us that in these last days in the restoration of all things the land surface shall once again be brought back to the condition in which it was before it was divided. This will come at the time of the second advent of Jesus Christ, for he has said:

And he shall utter his voice out ofZion, and he shall speak from Jerusalem, and his voice shall be heard among all people.

And it shall be a voice as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder, which shall break down the mountains, and the valleys shall not be found.

He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land;

And the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall be turned back into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided.—3132

Here the Prophet tells us that the dividing of the earth was in the days of Peleg. When Christ comes, it will be brought back again as it was before it was divided.33

Harold B. Lee

Some time ago I met a woman in Connecticut, an investigator, who was introduced to me by the missionary who had been teaching her the gospel. I said to her, Tell me, what was it that first attracted you to this church?”

She thought for a moment and then said, Well, I will tell you, Brother Lee. I had been raised in a sectarian church, and when I started coming to this church, there was something about your missionaries that caught my attention. When they stood up to speak, their faces seemed to shine, and that is something I had never seen in the preachers of my church.”

Do you know what that shining was? It was the power of the Holy Ghost, which our teachers are privileged to receive if they will only keep the law that our Heavenly Father has laid down as a requisite for their preparation.

A missionary told how he was cornered by an atheist who ridiculed many of the teachings of the scriptures. The atheist confronted our missionary before the congregation, an untrained, unschooled young man whom we had dared to send out without his having gone to a theological seminary for training and indoctrination in all the teachings of the gospel. Think what a chance we take in sending our missionaries out, unprepared except for the power of the Holy Ghost.

The atheist said, Why, it is preposterous for you to say that you believe in a Bible that teaches about a creation when the land was together and the water was all together.” Then he read to the missionary from the Book of Genesis, and continued, Now look at the earth. Here it is divided into many parts and oceans between. How will you explain the inconsistency in this?”

Well, the missionary did not have the answer, but he bowed his head and silently prayed, Heavenly Father, give me your Spirit to tell me what to say.” Then he raised his tear-stained face, and up above the audience, at the back of the hall, he read these words: Genesis 10:25 . In the days ofPelegthe earth was divided.” Never in the world had he ever read this scripture. He did not know it was in the Bible, but he saw it there on the wall, and he was able to respond, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, to the atheist’s question.34

Darwinist and Neo-Darwinist

Scripture

D&C 133:23–24
And he shall utter his voice . . . and his voice shall be heard among all people; And it shall be a voice as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder, which shall break down the mountains, and the valleys shall not be found.He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land; And the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall be turned back into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided.”

[…] Long before science had conceived of the idea of Pangaea, or an original state of the earth with all the continents joined together in one land mass, the Word of the Lord declared that such was the case. Much later science began to see signs that this was indeed the case. Now this is an accepted theory in scientific circles. For a discussion of what this means to the age of the earth please see the FAQ on this subject. […]

What on earth are you talking about? You are a madman. You’re mashing together many scientific concepts which you struggle to comprehend with religious doctrines which you believe without question.

Each one of your statements is unbalanced and shifted towards your own belief. Take an early example about continental drift:

“Which one will we believe? An unseen, unproven, man-made theory…” (i.e. a scientific, witnessed, proven series of facts documented by scores of specialists in their field) “…or the Word of the Lord and his prophets?” (i.e. a series of allegorical man-made stories written in a period when people were trying to make sense of the world around them). Your inference is that we should believe the latter.

I urge you to think for yourself. Yes, there may be an all powerful superbeing that created the known universe but biblical stories are not proof of this. When translating the imaginings of ancient authors into modern day thinking try not to take everything that you read at face value. Remember an Egyptian ‘week’ was actually 10 days, Noah lived to the unlikely age of 950 years old, and a God ‘day’ may not mean 24 hours but perhaps 500 million years.

There are some additional scriptures you could probably add to your thesis. When Christ visits America, he tells the people of the earth being wrapped together as a scroll (3 Nephi 26:3). Mormon and then Moroni both later refer to this using the word rolled as a scroll (Mormon 5:23 & Mormon 9:2). These seems very likely to be references to this same process of rolling back the continents, or restoring the earth to its paradisaical state (AofF 1:10). If so, these verses would add the testimony of our Lord and two additional prophets to your hypothesis.

Another thought. We do not necessarily have to claim science to be “wrong” and scripture as “right”, as if we were at war. Rather, we as mortals are seeking to understand the heavenly record (scripture) and the earthly record (geology). As we approach each humbly, we will be taught, according to that which we are willing to receive. The day could come that we learned that radiometric dates have somehow been impacted by things such as the increase in entropy that left us with decade-scale lifespans compared to the former century-scale lifespans of the early Patriarchs from Adam to Noah.

To me, it seems completely possible that much truth has been given to noble and honorable scientists who loved good and sought truth over the ages. It seems completely possible that God has just withheld a few keys of knowledge which allow the debate on the age of the earth and origins to continue, while it is a blessing to his children, as they choose their eternal path.